"Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia maintain very good relations, and I believe it will not affect the relations," she said.

Police said Ali lived alone at his Gulshan apartment and went for a walk late every night. Tapos Rema, a guard at the Saudi official's home, said Ali went for the walk as usual and was attacked when he returned.

Witnesses said that when Ali was near his home, shots were fired from a car that then fled.

Shamsul Islam, a junior Bangladeshi minister for home affairs, said "the matter is being investigated, and we'll bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible."

Saudi Arabia, where more than 2 million Bangladeshis stay and work, is a key ally and a major donor to Bangladesh.

In recent years, Riyadh has tightened recruitment from Bangladesh.

In October, Saudi authorities executed eight Bangladeshi workers in public for their alleged involvement in an armed robbery in which an Egyptian security guard was killed. Dhaka criticized the beheadings, as did the United Nations.